Question How to connect Crucial MX500 1TB SATA to Desktop

[Tom Vrankar]

Just got the subject 2.5" SATA drive to extend the life of this desktop, installed it in an older (4th gen Intel) Gigabyte mobo on SATA port 3 (0=boot HDD C: and D:, 1=HDD F: and G:, 2=DVD E. Used a new BestBuy 2' data cable. Connected power to 3rd (last) connector on power ribbon shared with the two HDDs. On turning the PC back on to run Acronis, with the intent to next clone only C: to this new SSD, PC boot loops (powers down in about 5 seconds as though a restart, then powers up again, etc), nothing on screen. After a couple such restarts, i held the power button down to break this loop. I then disconnected the new SSD and after a couple more bounces the PC is back to its normal (slow) self.

I expected to be able to see the new drive automatically detected, at least, and begin cloning it from C: into a bookable drive using Acronis in manual mode. Figured I'd have to adjust the boot order and drive letters later (will want to leave D: on the existing HDD). I recall when adding the second HDD a few years ago that I just plugged it in. I checked the BIOS after all this and the SATA controller is set to AHCI. Boot order is 2-0-1.

What am I missing? Can I not just throw the new SSD onto the mobo's SATA controller to initialize it? Something wrong with my cables? Drive was not an open box, date code 2253.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Lafong]

Not following all that you have written, but a few questions:

Can you get the Crucial visible in the BIOS with whatever cables you may have?

Your current boot drive is an HDD containing both C and D partitions. Is that correct? What is the total occupied space on this boot drive (not just C)?

Does the PC boot with ONLY the current boot drive connected?

 

[Tom Vrankar]

With the Crucial connected as described, on power-on, the computer's disk activity LED flashes for about 3 seconds, and the computer powers down in about 5. There is no time to enter BIOS. A few seconds later, this process repeats. Until I hold down the power switch.

With the Crucial disconnected, Disk Management shows 4 partions on the boot disk on SATA 0: a System Reserve of 350MB, C: with a 123GB capacity and 10GB free, an 862MB Recovery partition, and D: with a 806GB capacity and 16GB free. All labeled "healthy". All partitions with drive letters are GPT.

Are you suggesting I remove the other drives? The E:/F: HDD and the DVD have been attached to the mobo's SATA connectors as indicated for years. Currently the BIOS reports all 6 connector positions: three occupied as expected, and three "empty" as expected. What would be learned by reconfiguring my machine this way? My page file (system managed at 12GB) is currently allocated to F: drive on my second disk.

 

[Lafong]

My first goal would be to try to verify that the new Crucial MX 500 is in good working order.......through whatever means necessary. Cable swapping, port swapping, whatever.

No point in worrying about a clone if you cannot get that far.

I assume there is NO proof the Crucial isn't dead as a doornail.

Does your mobo manual give any indication that certain SATA ports might be disabled under certain circumstances?

You say you want to "clone" only C to the Crucial using Acronis.

In standard parlance, a "clone" refers to transferring ALL partitions to another drive. I don't use Acronis, so that may just be nomenclature confusion.

At any rate....I was wondering if the PC would boot with only the boot drive connected because some of your boot files may be on some other drive. Normally, all boot files would be on C, but that is not always true.

 

[Bob.B]

With the Crucial connected as described, on power-on, the computer's disk activity LED flashes for about 3 seconds, and the computer powers down in about 5. There is no time to enter BIOS. A few seconds later, this process repeats. Until I hold down the power switch.

With the Crucial disconnected, Disk Management shows 4 partions on the boot disk on SATA 0: a System Reserve of 350MB, C: with a 123GB capacity and 10GB free, an 862MB Recovery partition, and D: with a 806GB capacity and 16GB free. All labeled "healthy". All partitions with drive letters are GPT.

Are you suggesting I remove the other drives? The E:/F: HDD and the DVD have been attached to the mobo's SATA connectors as indicated for years. Currently the BIOS reports all 6 connector positions: three occupied as expected, and three "empty" as expected. What would be learned by reconfiguring my machine this way? My page file (system managed at 12GB) is currently allocated to F: drive on my second disk.

Connect the new ssd via usb see if you can access it.